We classified the worst enemies of the French football team (objectively).

In rugby we call it a “slump”. There is no name for France-England matches in football, but there is a rivalry between the two nations. As in Spain, Germany and Italy. During its 118 years of existence, the Blues have had time to create serious conflicts with opposing nations, often with neighboring countries, but not only.

As France and England meet in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup this Saturday, we’ve chosen to take a look at our team’s worst enemies.

It is no exaggeration to say that France-Brazil has had a special flavor since 1998 and the victory of the Blues in the World Cup final. In 2006, the poster between the last two world champions offered us the pinnacle of football with a recital by Zinedine Zidane (also by Patrick Vieira and Claude Makélélé).

Although the Brazilians have not beaten us in an official competition since 1986 (World Cup and Confederations Cup), it is difficult to place them higher in this ranking. And maybe that’s why.

We would have thought the Belgians would be our national team after Samuel Umtiti blew the country away with the only goal in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and bounced back (again) in the 2021 Nations League semi-final. worst enemies. No.

We don’t play on the same pitch anyway and the history between the two countries isn’t enough to create a real rivalry, although Belgium is the team that has beaten us the most in history. Sorry, Belgians, but you can’t do that even if you’re our worst soccer enemy.

It’s always nice to hit the not-so-good Englishmen when the inventors of this sport called football are serious about it. Why? Because these duels invoke the history of France: Joan of Arc, the Hundred Years’ War, Waterloo, Austerlitz, Brexit… and no one there loses their life at the final whistle.

If our former enemies have been friends for more than a century, the France-England football team is the equivalent of having fun between relatives. Even if it’s fun, we’ve been pretty good at this game lately.

1984, 2000, 2006: Portugal’s European or World Cup aspirations were often challenged by the talents of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane. By ruining the dreams of an entire nation, karma finally got to the Blues. In the Euro 2016 final, Cristiano Ronaldo’s side shattered our dreams in the worst possible way (who remembers Eder today?). The drama that brought the Seleção straight to 4th place.

We love to hate Spain in football. A team that plays well, often has a good line-up of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona players, but a somewhat brave team that believes they are better than us.

In 1984, the Spaniards are thinking of winning the Euro with us. Result: Michel Platini’s free-kick under Luis Arconada. OUT! Euro 2000 quarter-finals: Zidane and Djorkaeff guide them: OUT! Six years on, they are confident they can send Zizou into early retirement at the World Cup play-offs. Double Z’s response after Blues’ 3-1 win: ‘OUT!’ goodbye sign to say. You will understand, this is not crazy love.

The suicide of goalkeeper Harald Schumacher against Patrick Battiston in the semi-final of the World Cup held in Spain in 1982 is still one of the biggest traumas in French football. The images of the French football player being left on a stretcher, the German goalkeeper not being sanctioned by the referee and the heartbreaking scenario of the match have long made Mannschaft the biggest enemy of the French team. Since then, water has flowed under the bridge, but the memory of Sevilla 1982 is so strong that Germany are second in this ranking.

Euro 2000. World Cup 2006. France-Italy: the final competition, so dramatic, with a script you’d think came from the brains of Steven Soderbergh and William Shakespeare. Looking down on us from the top of four world titles, this selection faces Italy and his tactical instructions and iron defense are working physically and mentally. Against Squadra Adzurra, no more defeats against anyone. Because there is often a risk of a headache at the end.